At this point, ASU needs them all. Or maybe the Sun Devils just would take one. In front of 7,638, they fell to 9-11 and 1-7. This was their sixth conference loss in row, longest since the season no one likes to discuss, coach Herb Sendek's first, which produced an 8-22 mark.

"It's a painful voyage right now," Sendek said. "I think we all share it. We all feel it. But we're going to kind of go through it together. We're not going to run from it."

This one had highs and lows for the home team, a rollercoaster ride that sent the Sun Devils to an early 11-point lead, only to have it end in a tug of war of possessions. USC made more plays in the final minutes, answering a late scoring spree from ASU's Rihards Kuksiks, to hang on for just its second road win of the season.

The Sun Devils pulled within a point four times in the final three minutes. Each time, USC answered from the foul line. USC hit 6 of 8 in the final 2:26, and that was the difference. The Trojans weren't great from the foul line, making 9 of 16, but they connected when it mattered.

For the game, ASU, the Pac-10's worst foul-shooting team, made 12 of 25.

"I was once asked (about free throws) in another year when our team wasn't making free throws," Sendek said. "Someone even asked me if we practiced them. I would just take this opportunity to let you know that we do practice them. Our guys have goals they have to make every day. And we most certainly consider it an important part of the game. I believe one of my teams led the nation in free-throw shooting one year. I guess we practiced them better that year."

Every time USC threatened to pull away, Kuksiks answered. The senior sharpshooter, slowed because of injuries most of the season, drained three 3-pointers in the final 5:26, giving the Sun Devils a chance. After USC freshman Garrett Jackson sank 1 of 2 free throws with 16 seconds left, ASU had one last possession to win.

Abbott, who finished with 19 points, missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left, but the rebound went out of bounds to the Sun Devils. The officials put 0.5 seconds on the clock. Time for one pass, one shot. ASU appeared to have Carrick Felix for a back-cut lob, but it would've made for a difficult pass.

Instead the ball went to Abbott, who came up short.

"It's rough," Abbott said. "Obviously, we came in with higher expectations. But it's adversity. You got to figure out a way to get (through) it."

ASU report

Key player: ASU played decent post defense for most of the game, doubling USC's Nikola Vucevic at every opportunity. The 6-foot-10 forward still managed game highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds.

Key moment: The Sun Devils had the ball, trailing 60-58 with 49 seconds left. But on a set play after a time out, Ty Abbott lost the ball in the post, fumbling away a key opportunity.

Key number: 48. Free throw percentage for ASU. The Sun Devils made just 12 of 25 free throws, which was the difference in the game.